Dark Side
by wharfcoyote
Summary: Roman and Dean decide to teach Seth a lesson after he interferes in their business one too many times.
1. Chapter 1 - All Tied Up

Chapter 1 - All Tied Up

Seth walked briskly backstage, sore and tired from his match. His mind was focused on one thing: getting back to his hotel room as quickly as possible. Brock Lesnar wasn't around tonight which meant that there was no chance to cash in his briefcase, so he simply didn't see the point of sticking around. He didn't care what plans Triple H might have for him for the rest of the night. As far as Seth was concerned, he was done for the evening.

_Wham! _Something hit Seth hard in the gut. He hunched over in pain and dropped his Money In The Bank briefcase. His visions of pillows and blankets and sleep abruptly vanished. Holding his stomach and struggling for air, Seth tried to contain his rising adrenaline. This was no time to panic. He turned his head trying to identify his attacker but instead found a piece of cloth being shoved roughly into his mouth. He instinctively tried to spit it back out, but a hand prevented him. He felt himself being heaved upright, an arm holding him tightly around his midsection.

"Roman! Quick! Get the tape," Dean hissed.

Understanding dawned on Seth. He felt his heart rate ease. Roman and Dean. Of course. They hated him, sure, but they weren't crazy serial killers who were going to chop him into tiny pieces either. Funny that in an environment where nearly everyone on the roster hated his guts that 'crazy ax murderer' was the first place his mind had gone. But just because Seth was relieved did not mean that he wanted to find out what Roman and Dean had in store for him. Seth stopped struggling and suddenly let his body go limp. As planned, this unexpected action surprised Dean and allowed Seth to slide to the floor. He spit out the cloth and began to scramble away but a hard kick to the gut stopped his progress. Immediately he felt a weight on top of him as Dean's knee pressed into his back and pinned him to the cold floor.

_I guess I'm gonna find out their plans, after all_, Seth thought to himself as Dean once again demanded tape from Roman.

"_Pink_? You got _pink_ duct tape?" Dean asked Roman incredulously.

"My daughter was with me when I bought it. She wanted pink." Seth could almost hear the shrug in Roman's voice.

"You can't tape someone up with pink duct tape!" Dean grumbled, but he proceeded to tape Seth's wrists together anyway. Though Seth was dazed from the blow to his stomach, he had the presence of mind to hold his wrists slightly apart as Dean wrapped them in tape. He hoped it would make it easier to get his hands loose later... if he got the chance. Luckily, Dean was too busy muttering about the color of the duct tape to notice.

"Gargh," Seth tried to scream, but only a strangled gargle came out. The last kick had knocked the wind out of him.

"Get his mouth!" Dean instructed urgently.

Roman quickly shoved the cloth back into Seth's mouth, and Dean covered it with duct tape. Seth was surprised to find himself freaking out. _I can't breathe! I can't breathe!_ he thought frantically. Seth saw black dots dance in front of him as Roman pulled him to his feet. This time when his legs crumpled beneath him, it was no ploy. Without his hands to break his fall, his descent to the ground was quite painful. The pain ended up working in his favor, though, as it helped cut through the overwhelming panic. _Get a grip_, Seth commanded himself sternly. _Don't give these jackasses the pleasure of seeing your weakness. Just breathe through your nose. In. Out. In. Out._

Seth continued this mantra - _In. Out. In. Out._ \- as Dean and Roman once again pulled him to his feet and marched him down the hallway. Seth knew he should be trying to survey his surroundings, trying to calculate his next move, but he was too busy trying to keep the blackness that lurked at the edges of his field of vision at bay. _In. Out_, Seth repeated to himself as they stopped in front of a door. _In. Out_, as Roman pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Distantly, Seth heard Roman and Dean talking.

"You have any trouble getting the key?" Dean asked.

"Nah. A smile and a wink was all I needed," Roman answered.

"Man, it's like you have some kind of superpower or something."

They pushed Seth inside what appeared to be some kind of supply closet and forced him onto a metal folding chair.

"Tape him up quick, Ro. It's almost time for my match."

Roman threw the briefcase against the wall and knelt to tape Seth's feet to the legs of the chair. Seth briefly considered kicking him in the face but didn't really think the satisfaction would be worth the inevitable punishment he would endure as a result. So instead, he chose to cooperate, leaving as much space as he could manage between his boots and the legs of the chair.

"Should we redo his hands?" Roman asked.

"Ehh... you can if you want, but I gotta get out of here. I think it's good enough."

"You're probably right," Roman agreed, rising to his feet. He looked at Seth. "That should keep you out of my way tonight. It's high time you learned a little lesson about minding your own damn business."

Ahh. So that was what this was all about. Seth had been interfering in Roman's matches quite frequently lately. He actually felt a little stupid for not figuring out their reasons sooner. It figures that the one time that he was actually not planning on doing anything, they would choose to pull a stunt like this.

"See ya later, brother," Dean said patting Seth's cheek menacingly. "We may have a few things we need to work out when we get back."

Roman looked at Seth appraisingly. "I don't know what you were complaining so much about, Dean. I think Seth looks good in pink."

"It worked for Bret Hart, I guess," Dean conceded as they walked out of the room. Seth could hear a small click as one of them, probably Roman, locked the door securely behind them.

Seth was extremely relieved that they had left the closet's light on. Being taped to a chair in the dark in a locked closet would really be torture. Maybe it was a sign that Dean and Roman didn't hate him as much as he feared. Or, more likely, they just hadn't thought about it. If Seth had been making the plans for this - what would you call it? kidnapping? abduction? - he would have totally thought to leave his victim in the dark. Oh well. Seth figured that he should be thankful that his former friends were not criminal masterminds rather than bemoaning their lack of foresight. It did make his life much easier, after all.

Seth wiggled his hands experimentally. It felt like Dean had wrapped most of the tape around his gloves rather than around his actual arms. Seth moved his hand back and forth loosening the little bit of the tape that was stuck to his wrist. Then, holding on to his right glove with his left hand, he pulled his right hand out. Without bothering to remove the duct tape from his left hand, Seth quickly yanked the tape from his mouth and spit out the cloth into his lap. He took several deep breaths feeling much calmer now that his mouth was free. He looked down to remove the tape from his left hand and noticed that the cloth that had been stuffed in his mouth was a sock. Yuck. As he picked at the tape around his left hand, he wondered idly if the sock had been Dean's or Roman's. And if it had been clean.

With free hands and unobstructed breathing, Seth made quick work of the tape around his feet. He felt jubilant as he rose from the chair. Dean and Roman had gotten one over on him by capturing him and locking him in a closet, but he was pretty sure that he had earned a point back by escaping the chair. Now he was ready to get ahead by escaping the closet. Once again, Seth found himself shaking his head at his former allies shortsightedness. They were both well aware that he could pick locks. A childhood obsession with spy movies had resulted in him knowing all sorts of cool tricks. So why in the world would they lock him in a place with tools galore that he could use to escape? Maybe they really did want to give him a fighting chance. Or maybe they were just stupid.

Seth quickly located a flathead screwdriver that he could use as a tension wrench, but he had more trouble finding something he could use as a pick. Paperclips, safety pins, and bobby pins all work well, but none were available. Finally he noticed a wire brush in a janitor's cart. Bingo! By repeatedly bending one of the wires back and forth, he was able to break it from the brush. He just hoped the wire would be sturdy enough to pick the lock effectively. As he patiently worked on the lock, Seth thought back to the time he had spent teaching Dean this skill. Roman had always refused to participate, deriding them for their childish antics and labeling the activity a complete waste of time. _Maybe I should lock him in a closet_, Seth thought as he worked. _See how stupid it would seem then._

Click. The lock sprung free. Seth smiled in satisfaction. His whole escape had probably taken less than fifteen minutes. Not bad. He returned the screwdriver, left the tape and sock in a neat stack on the seat of the chair, and retrieved his gloves and briefcase. As he opened the door, Seth was seriously tempted to stick around the arena so he could interfere in Roman's match, but he resisted the urge. Seth had many flaws, but he was rarely spiteful. He was driven not by anger or hatred but by the urge to get ahead, and he had nothing to gain from messing with Roman tonight. Besides, he had plenty of time to exact revenge later. The temptation to hide somewhere nearby so he could witness Dean and Roman's reaction to finding him missing was harder to resist. He was tired, though, and there was a bed in his hotel room calling his name, so he walked away, ready to grab his bags, drive to the hotel, and finally get some sleep.

* * *

Roman turned the key in the lock and opened the door, too pleased with the outcome of his match to notice that the door was already unlocked.

"We're ba-aack," Dean sing-songed as he entered the closet. "What the hell?" He stopped abruptly as he took in the empty chair.

Roman took one look at the empty chair and immediately spun around, eyes darting wildly around the room.

"He's not here," Dean informed his friend helpfully, but Roman continued to look around, unconvinced.

"I feel like he's going to spring up from behind me like a ninja and ambush me with a baseball bat or something," Roman explained, glancing worriedly at the ceiling.

"Relax," Dean said, patting Roman on the shoulder. "He's probably already back at his hotel room. After he managed to get loose from the duct tape, we might as well have left him a key. He's really good at pulling these kind of Houdini stunts you know, and we left him plenty to work with."

"I didn't hear you offering any of this valuable insight when we were finalizing plans earlier," Roman complained angrily. He kicked the chair in frustration and stormed out of the room.

Dean followed Roman at a much more leisurely pace. He knew that Roman was upset, but he just couldn't muster up the energy to share his friend's rage. Instead, he felt a sense of begrudging respect toward his former brother. _That conniving scumbag always did know how to weasel out of a bad situation_, he mused almost approvingly, _but we'll get him eventually._ Dean smiled at the thought as he started to jog to catch up to Roman's retreating figure.


	2. Chapter 2 - Smart Mouth

Chapter 2 - Smart Mouth

Seth was happy to finally be back at his hotel. This game of cat and mouse he was currently playing with Dean and Roman was amusing but exhausting. He had managed to avoid one attempt at capture earlier in the week at a house show, but he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid them forever. He considered it a matter of pride, though, to delay the inevitable as long possible.

_Well, at least I'm done for tonight_, Seth thought as he rifled through his wallet looking for his room key. _Crap. Where is it?_ he wondered. His key was not in its normal place in his wallet. After checking his wallet and his bag thoroughly twice, Seth finally admitted defeat and headed wearily toward the hotel lobby.

Returning from the front desk with his replacement key in hand, Seth unlocked the door to his room, the next day's agenda running through his head. He was trying to decide whether he had enough time to go to the offsite gym he had found before his flight or if it would be wiser to just use the hotel's gym in the morning. _Maybe I could do a quick workout here in the morning and get in a real workout after I land_, he thought as he walked inside his room. He almost jumped out of his skin when he noticed Roman and Dean lounging casually on his bed.

"Lose something?" Dean asked mockingly, waving Seth's missing room key in the air.

Seth quickly weighed his options. If he turned around and bolted right now, he could make it out of the room before Roman and Dean could rise from the bed to catch him. But that would mean he would have to leave most of his stuff behind and get a second room or find someone to bunk with. Besides that, Dean and Roman would probably just wait for him to return in the morning. True, he could find back-up if he left, but he really didn't want to get the other members of the Authority involved. They were allies of convenience, not friends, and this was personal anyway. No, it was better to go ahead and settle things tonight.

"Well, boys," Seth said dropping his gym bag but holding on to his Money In The Bank briefcase, "what's the plan?"

"The plan," Roman replied, "is for you to finally get what's coming to you."

"Well, you're gonna have to be awfully quiet. These walls are thin, and J &amp; J are rooming on one side of me, and Big Show and Kane are on the other," Seth lied.

"Oh, I think we can find a way to keep you quiet," Dean said threateningly, finally rising from his spot the bed and approaching Seth.

"Dean, Roman, please. Let's all be mature about this. I'll cooperate." Seth was not eager to be gagged again, and besides he had the beginnings of a plan.

"But that would ruin half our fun, now wouldn't it, Rollins?" Dean stepped closer to Seth.

"Please, Dean, please," Seth pleaded taking a step back and bumping into the desk. "No need for violence. Like I said, I'll cooperate. What do you wanna do? Tie me up like last time?"

"I think we can start with that," Dean agreed. "Pull out that chair."

Seth pulled out the desk chair and turned it to face the beds.

"Sit," Dean ordered.

Seth complied cooperatively, placing his briefcase down carefully behind the chair before sitting down. If Dean and Roman were suspicious of his easy compliance, then they weren't showing it.

Dean pulled a bag of zip ties from his pocket. "Let's see you squirm out of these."

"Oh. I saw you use those on Wade Barrett. Good thinking," Seth complimented genuinely, but Dean shot him a nasty look anyway. Seth responded by closing his mouth and placing his hands helpfully behind the back of the chair. Seth wished that Dean had decided to use duct tape like last time. Zip ties could leave ugly cuts if you struggled against them. He also wished he still had on his ring gear. His gloves made it easier for him to get extra space between his hands without being noticed, while his wrist tape would have protected his wrists. Oh well. He pulled the sleeves of his shirt down as far as possible and hoped for the best. For his part, Dean seemed to take pleasure in pulling the zip ties extra tight against his wrists. He repeated the action around Seth's ankles, then stood to survey his work.

Without warning, Dean reared back and slapped Seth hard across the cheek.

Seth took a moment to recover from the shock. _Game time_, he thought. Out loud he said, "I'm disappointed in you, Dean."

"Why? Because I hit a defenseless man?" Dean retorted. "You should know I'm not too good for that."

"No, no. I'm sure I deserved it. I'm disappointed because you can't see the truth when it is staring you in the face."

"What truth is that, Rollins?" He drawled Seth's last name like an insult.

"That me breaking up the Shield is the best thing that could have happened to you. To any of us. We took the Shield as high as it could go. It was coming to an end no matter what I did. I just made sure we went out with a bang instead of a whimper. Roman saw it coming."

Roman sat up for the first time since Seth entered the room as two pairs of eyes turned to focus on him. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said in a low, dangerous tone.

"Oh, is that right?" Seth returned steadily. "I seem to remember you grooming yourself for a nice singles career before I broke us up. You weren't going to outright leave us. No, no, no. You're too good for that, aren't you, Superman? But you were ready to leave us behind, weren't you, Roman? You were tired of sharing the glory. You were planning on being the breakout star of the Shield. And I don't blame you. Really, I don't. I'm an ambitious man. I get it. But there was no way you could go on to bigger and better things without making me and Dean look like chumps. I like you, Roman. Really. I do. But I wasn't going to let you make me look like a chump."

"That's all a bunch of bullshit, and you know it," Roman growled rising to his feet.

Seth desperately wished that he could use his hands to defend himself, but they were securely tied behind his back. He would have to use his mouth as a shield instead. "Oh, is it, Roman? Why don't we ask your good friend Dean for his opinion."

Roman paused in his progression toward Seth and looked at Dean.

"He's not completely off base, Ro," Dean answered carefully. "You were coming off of fantastic Royal Rumble and Survivor Series performances. All signs pointed toward you pursuing a singles career. But I don't think it would've made me look like a chump. Unlike some people," Dean looked pointedly at Seth, "I'm not threatened by my friends' success. I think we would have ended up looking even more dominant."

Dean's answer surprised Seth. He didn't think that Dean would acknowledge how Roman had been gradually setting himself apart from his Shield brothers. But since he had, it made Seth's job that much easier.

"How very loyal of you, Dean," Seth sneered. "Do you think Roman appreciates how loyal of a friend you are to him?"

"You bet I do," Roman asserted vigorously.

"Does Roman appreciate all the sacrifices you've made for him?" Seth continued looking only at Dean. He could see the confusion in Dean's eyes. He felt like he could almost read Dean's thoughts: _What sacrifices? Where is he going with this?_

"Because you have made sacrifices, haven't you, Dean?" Seth insisted persuasively. "Do you think Roman has ever wondered why you haven't thrown your hat in the ring for a chance at the WWE World Heavyweight title? Because I've wondered, Dean. It would seem like you were more qualified than me or Roman. You're the only one of the three of us who has ever held a singles title. And you didn't just hold it, did you? No, you had the longest U.S. title reign of anyone ever in the WWE. And I don't think that Roman would disagree with me when I say that you are just as talented, if not more so, than me or Roman. You've been working for this for over ten years now, busting your ass in the indies for years just to make it to the WWE. So tell me, Dean, why is it that Roman who hasn't been wrestling even half as long as you have is the one going after the big prize while you struggle to even get a shot at the Intercontinental Title?"

Seth stopped to let his words sink in. He could see Dean struggling to come up with an appropriate response. _That's it_, he thought. _Divide and conquer_. Seth continued, "Roman might not know why, but I think I do, Dean. I think you have deliberately stepped aside so that you wouldn't step on Roman's toes. It's sweet of you really, to put yourself on the back-burner so your friend can bask in the glory."

Seth could tell by the uneasy looks on his former partners' faces that his words were having the desired effect. _Let's see if I can push it just a little further_, he mused.

"Because Roman does like the glory, doesn't he Dean? He likes to shine? You know, I watched the Royal Rumble match, and I couldn't help but think how dominant the two of you could have been if you had just worked together for most of the match. Together you two could have eliminated everyone else, and then you could have sorted out the rest at the end. But that's not what happened, did it? And let me guess why. I bet that Roman talked to you before the match, didn't he, Dean? And he said something like, 'I just have to do it on my own. I have to prove myself.'" The looks on Roman's and Dean's faces confirmed that Seth's guess had been on the mark.

"Do you think that was really the reason, Dean? Or was Roman just afraid that you would steal some of his spotlight? But what would I know? I'm just the guy that helped you steal the show night after night. I'm just the guy who helped you main event a pay-per-view. You were killing it while Roman was injured. Of course, once he came back..." Seth trailed off. There was no need to spell out how Dean's place on the card had dropped since Roman's return.

Dean finally snapped. He grabbed Seth hard by the shoulders, got right into his face, and seethed, "You know nothing, Rollins. Nothing. You hear me? Do you even believe any of the shit that comes out of your mouth?"

Though the question was clearly rhetorical, Seth decided to answer anyway. "About half," he shrugged. In his head he added, _The best lies are those that are mixed heavily with truth._

"About half," Dean repeated in disbelief. He let go of Seth and began to pace around the room, muttering to himself.

"I'm tied to a chair with two guys who want to kick my ass. I don't really think this is the best time for complete honesty," Seth clarified.

Roman's mouth quirked in an unwilling smile as he shook his head.

"You know what, Roman," Dean said as he continued his manic pacing, "I can't do this right now. I'm outta here." He slammed the door as he left the room.

Seth smiled inwardly in triumph. _And then there was one_, he thought.

Roman marveled at how brilliantly Seth had just manipulated Dean. Seth always had known how to pull Dean's strings, but when they were together he had used his powers for good. "I hope you don't think that smart mouth of yours is going to work as well on me as it just worked on Dean," Roman warned, "because I am bound and determined to give you everything that you deserve."

"Oh, Roman," Seth replied condescendingly, "with you I wouldn't even have to open my mouth. Because you, my friend, are much too honorable to hit me when I can't defend myself."

"I'll show you just how honorable I can be," Roman growled.

"Maybe I'm wrong, then. Go ahead, then, Hit me," Seth challenged.

Roman hesitated.

"See?" Seth said. "This just isn't your style. You simply got caught up in our little game of one-upmanship. Call me out next week on Raw. Kick my ass in the ring instead. Trust me, you'll enjoy it much more."

Roman desperately wanted to prove Seth wrong. He raised his hand, ready to strike, but he just couldn't do it. He had been wrong. Seth had manipulated him even easier than Dean. Roman sighed then smiled as an idea occurred to him. No, he wouldn't beat Seth up, but that didn't mean he wouldn't get the last laugh.

"You're right. This isn't my style," Roman agreed. "But I don't have any qualms about leaving you here, tied to that chair. Don't worry, though, I'll come untie you in the morning. Wouldn't want housekeeping to find you like that." Roman started to leave, but then turned around and added in mock sympathy, "I bet it will be awfully hard to sleep like that, though. Why don't I help you out with that." He pulled a bandana out of his pocket and tied it around Seth's eyes. "There. That should help," he said, patting Seth's head. "Goodnight."

Seth heard the door shut softly behind Roman. He took a moment to congratulate himself on making it through this confrontation with only minor injury. He counted it as a victory. Now it was time to get himself loose from this chair. He felt behind him for his briefcase. He was glad he had had the foresight to place it within such easy reach. Now for the hard part. Briefcase in hand, Seth hopped the chair toward the bed. It would have been much easier if he could see where he was going. Luckily, the hotel room was small, and the bed was only a couple of feet away. Once he could feel the bed with his knees, Seth maneuvered the chair around the opposite way and carefully raised the briefcase until he could rest it on the bed. He fumbled with the latch, stretching his shoulders painfully in order to reach. He smiled in relief when the latch clicked open.

After getting locked in the supply closet, Seth had decided it would be wise to prepare for any possible future encounters. C.M. Punk might have liked to refer to John Cena as 'boy scout,' but it was Seth who actually lived by the motto 'Be prepared.' Along with packing a professional lock picking kit in his briefcase, Seth had also packed anything else that he had thought might be useful: a pocket knife, scissors, a flashlight, tweezers, a poncho, a lighter, tape, a first aid kit, and an air horn among other things. It was a pain always having to unpack and repack the briefcase every time he got on an airplane - he didn't think airport security would approve of his supplies - but he was glad he had gone through the trouble.

He felt around carefully until he located the pair of scissors he had packed. He manipulated them gingerly, trying to get the right angle without letting them drop. Snip. The zip tie fell from his wrists. He pulled the bandana from his eyes, and after two more quick cuts, he was free. He stood, shook out the kinks, replaced the desk chair, repacked his briefcase, and threw away the zip ties. He then walked to his door and dead-bolted it. He didn't want any more surprises tonight. Finally able to relax in his bed, Seth pulled out his cell phone and snapped a quick selfie of himself smiling and leaning into his pillows. He sent it with the message, "Goodnight, Roman."

* * *

Roman entered his own hotel room hoping to find Dean inside but was unsurprised when he was not. He couldn't help but admire how efficiently Seth had manipulated the two of them. He wondered if he had done the right thing leaving Seth tied to the chair. He knew he deserved it, but it was still kind of cruel. _Maybe, I should go untie him_, he thought. _Nah, let him sit there and think about what he has done._

Roman had barely finished brushing his teeth when he heard his phone ding, announcing a text message. _Dean_, he thought hurrying to read it, but was greeted with a photo of a smiling Seth instead. Groaning good-naturedly, Roman returned the phone to the nightstand. "Goodnight, Seth," he muttered.


	3. Chapter 3 - I Want In

Chapter 3 - I Want In

Roman was in a deep sleep when Dean finally stomped back into the hotel room. He slammed the door and then proceeded to bang things around in the bathroom.

"You alright, Dean?" Roman called.

"Nope," Dean replied curtly.

Roman sat up, struggling to shake off the sleep that clouded his brain. "Wanna talk about it?" he offered.

Dean slammed the bathroom door behind him as he left. "That little scumbag is right. I am a chump," Dean said angrily.

"Now, Dean," Roman began soothingly.

"Don't 'Now, Dean,' me, Roman," Dean interrupted. "I know what I know. He's Mr. Money In The Bank and the Undisputed Future of the WWE. You're the Royal Rumble winner, WrestleMania main eventer, and future WWE World Heavyweight champion, and I'm the chump who can't win at a pay-per-view to save my life and had to to tie someone up just to get a shot at the Intercontinental Title. I know a chump when I see one."

"Dean, come on. Seth didn't mean the stuff he said. He was just trying to save his own skin."

"I don't care whether he meant it or not. I've worked too hard for too long to be a loser. Enough is enough, and it's time for a change," Dean declared.

"What are you gonna do?" Roman asked hesitantly.

"You know what they say: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"What does that mean?" Roman asked, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to hear the answer.

"It means that I'm gonna join the Authority," Dean said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

"Dean, come on! This is crazy talk. You can't join the Authority," Roman protested.

"You think you can tell me what I can and can't do now, big guy?" Dean questioned threateningly.

"You know that's not what I meant," Roman answered quickly. "I just mean that joining the Authority is like going over to the dark side. You don't want to do that."

"How do you know what I want?" Dean demanded. "What I want is to be successful. What I want is to main event shows. What I want is title opportunities. And I can get all of that a lot easier working with the Authority than I can being your little buddy."

"But just think how hard we worked trying to take the Authority down," Roman pointed out.

"I think you're a little mixed up," Dean countered. "_We_ didn't do anything. If I recall correctly, it was _you_ who wanted to take on the Authority. _I_ just wanted to get back at Seth."

"But now you want to join his side? What makes you think he would even let you?"

"Oh, he'll let me. Opportunistic bastard that he is, he'll recognize a good thing when he sees it. Besides, he owes me. It's not like I'm doing this to be his friend. I'm doing this for me. You don't have any problem looking out for yourself. He certainly doesn't have any problem looking out for himself. Well, now it's my turn. I'm gonna do what's best for me."

"Can't you do that without joining the Authority?" Roman asked.

"You know anybody better to ask for favors than Trips and Stephanie?" Dean challenged. "No? Then I rest my case."

"Dean, please. At least sleep on it before you do something you'll regret," Roman pleaded.

"Nope. I've wasted too much time already," Dean said and marched back out the door.

* * *

"Seth!" Dean yelled as he pounded on Seth's door. "Seth! Open up!"

Seth squinted at the clock. _Who the hell is pounding on my door at 3:43 in the morning?_ he wondered. He listened and sighed: _Dean_. He briefly considered simply pulling the pillow over his head and ignoring the racket, but he knew it was hopeless. Dean was stubborn and would be more than willing to wake up everyone on the floor in order to get his way.

"Give me minute," Seth called, his voice hoarse with sleep. "Let me throw on some clothes."

"Oh come on. The whole world has seen you naked. Just let me in already," Dean demanded.

Seth ignored the command. He had no idea what Dean wanted or what kind of mood he was in. There was no way he was going into this situation half naked. He fumbled for his glasses and quickly pulled on his jeans and shirt from the night before. As he walked toward the door, he really regretted not packing a taser in his briefcase like he had thought about. He took a deep breath and opened the door. "Dean, what a... uhh... unexpected surprise."

Dean pushed past Seth and walked confidently into the room. Seth shut the door and trailed behind him. He looked at Dean dazedly. _Maybe this is a dream_, he thought hopefully.

"Let's get right to the point," Dean said. "I want in."

"You... want in?" Seth repeated, thoroughly confused. "You want in what? What are you talking about?"

"Wow, not so clever when you're sleepy are you? I'll have to remember that. I want in the Authority." Dean said the last sentence slowly, so Seth would be sure to catch each word.

"You want in the Authority?" Seth again repeated disbelievingly. This had to be a dream. It made no sense at all. "Why?"

"You were right," Dean responded simply as if that explained everything.

"I was right about what?" Seth said, exasperated. He was growing increasingly irritated at not being able to follow this conversation.

"About the stuff you said earlier. I've been holding myself back. Well, that stops right now. I'm putting myself first from now on, and you are going to help me."

Seth didn't question why Dean thought he would be willing to help him. He simply sat down on the bed, put his head in his hands, and groaned. "Dean, I didn't actually mean the stuff I said. I was just trying to get in your head so I could avoid an asskicking. Go back to Roman. He's been a good friend to you. You don't want to join the Authority."

"Why do you and Roman both think you can tell me what I want," Dean yelled. "I'm telling you I want to join the Authority."

"Okay, okay. Calm down," Seth begged. "Just give me a minute to process this. It's a lot to take in."

Seth's mind raced. Was Dean serious? Did he really want to join his side? Or was it some sort of plot to regain his trust, so they could betray him like he had betrayed them? Did it matter?

"Alright," Seth said slowly.

"Alright, what?"

"Alright, I'll talk to Triple H and Stephanie. I'll see what I can do."

"Great!" Dean patted Seth on the back. "I'll talk to you after the show tomorrow. Just text me to let me know where you're parked." Dean whistled as he left the room.

Seth lay back on his bed with only one thought going through his head: _What the hell just happened?_

* * *

Seth tried his best to go back to sleep but was unsuccessful. Too many questions kept running through his head: How was he going to convince Hunter and Stephanie to let Dean join the Authority? Did he really _want_ to convince them to let Dean join the Authority? What would happen if he failed? And, scarier yet, what would happen if he succeeded? He had finally given up on sleep and had just finished packing his bags, when he yet again heard banging on his door. _Who can it be now?_ he thought irritably. _It's only_, he glanced at the clock, _5:03. Doesn't anybody sleep around here any more?_

He stormed to the door and slung it open, too frustrated to care who was on the other side.

"Roman. Thanks for stopping by. I'm good, thanks. 'Bye." He tried to slam the door back closed, but Roman caught it and forced his way into the room. "Okay, fine," Seth muttered as he closed the door and followed Roman. "At least I'm awake this time."

"What do you want?" Seth demanded.

"I want you to not lure Dean into your evil little world," Roman responded forcefully.

"You think I'm _luring_ Dean? I'm not luring anybody. I told Dean that he shouldn't join us, but he insisted. This is what he wants."

"Well, make him not want it, then," Roman insisted, raising his voice.

"What do you think, Roman, that I have special mind control powers or something?" Seth snapped.

"Yes?" Roman answered uncertainly.

Seth looked at Roman for a moment in disbelief and then began to chuckle. Roman soon joined him. The tension momentarily broken, Seth sat down on the bed and asked seriously, "So give it to me straight. What is really bothering you about this whole Dean joining the Authority thing? What exactly are you worried about?"

"What am I not worried about?" Roman sighed as he sank into the desk chair. "I'm worried about Dean getting hurt. I'm worried about losing my friend. I just don't think this is a good idea."

"Look, I can't promise that Dean won't get hurt. I can only tell you that _I _don't plan on hurting him and that I will do what I can to keep him safe."

"Well, that makes me feel so much better, seeing as your word means so much to me and all," Roman cut in sarcastically.

"I'm not asking you to believe me," Seth returned sharply. "You came to me remember? Look this is stupid. We aren't friends anymore. You don't believe a word that comes out of my mouth. Why are you sitting here talking to me anyway?"

"Because I didn't know what else to do," Roman answered honestly.

"Look. Dean is just doing this to advance his career. He's using the Authority. He's using me. There's no reason you two can't still be friends. Just try to stay off your high horse, and I'm sure you'll both be fine," Seth advised. "Who knows? He could still change his mind."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Roman stood, ready to leave.

"Of course, there is one more thing you could do," Seth couldn't resist adding.

"What?"

"You could join the Authority, too. Then you'd really be able to look after Dean."

"No way," Roman said emphatically. "I don't need to take shortcuts."

"That's rich, coming from you," Seth mumbled.

"What did you say?" Roman said, looking intensely at Seth.

"Never mind," Seth said quickly, berating himself for not being able keep the conversation civil.

"No, go on. I want to hear what you have to say. You think I've taken shortcuts?"

"Uhh, yes?" Seth quipped. "You were born with a shortcut. Not all of us were born into legendary wrestling families, Roman. Me and Dean, we worked for years on the indies before we even got a chance to prove ourselves in developmental. How long did you bust your butt in armories and high school gyms trying to build up your reputation, Roman? Oh yeah. You just waltzed into FCW with your family background and your movie star good looks. I also don't remember you complaining when we broke into the main roster together. What did you think the Shield was all about, Roman, huh? I'll give you a hint: it wasn't justice. We were all about using whatever means necessary to get the three of us to the top. And we dominated. But I guess that now that you've gotten where you want to be, you're too _honorable _to game the system anymore. Well, screw that! I'm still scratching and clawing to get to the top, and if Dean wants to join me then I'll do whatever I can to see that he makes it to the top too!"

Roman stared at Seth, dumbfounded. He knew that a lot of the other guys felt like he'd gotten into the WWE the easy way, but neither Seth nor Dean had ever called him on it. He wondered if Dean felt the same way. "Yeah, well, you do that," he returned weakly and trudged out the door.

* * *

Seth had wracked his brain all day trying to decide the best way to convince Triple H and Stephanie to let Dean join the Authority. After carefully considering all his options, he finally settled on a brazen approach. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves and plastered an arrogant smirk on his face before entering the Authority locker room.

"Hunter, Stephanie," he greeted in a booming, confident voice. "I have excellent news. Dean Ambrose has decided to join our side." Seth clenched his jaw, trying to hide the nervousness he felt at the announcement.

Hunter's eyes widened. "What?" he exclaimed.

Seth walked up to him and patted him on the back warning himself to keep up his cocky facade. "I knew you would be excited," he said, grinning.

"Steph... Rollins..." Hunter stammered, too upset to form a coherent sentence.

"Best for business, am I right?" Seth crowed, secretly worried that his plan was about to backfire.

"Rollins, who do you think you are?" Hunter roared.

"Now, honey," Stephanie interrupted, trying to calm her husband down.

"No, no. This has been coming for a while. Rollins, here, has clearly let success go to his head. Let me make something perfectly clear." Hunter glared at Seth. "You are not in charge around here. I am in charge here. You don't get to decide who does and does not join our group."

Seth decided to switch tactics. Feigning remorse, he responded, "Hunter, please, I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to overstep my bounds, I promise. It just never entered my mind that you would have a problem with this. I thought you would be excited to have Dean under your control. I apologize for my misjudgment. Please, let me try again." He paused, then said in a formal voice, "Hunter, Stephanie, Dean approached me this morning and informed me of his interest in joining the Authority. What do you think?"

"I think Dean can go—" Hunter began but was once again interrupted by Stephanie.

"I think that is a wonderful idea," Stephanie said warmly.

"What?!" Hunter sputtered.

"I think," Stephanie continued, shooting her husband a look that clearly said 'we will talk about this later in private,' "that this is an excellent opportunity. Dean Ambrose will be a valuable asset for the Authority. We'll work out the details after the show."

Seth bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. Hunter liked to believe that he was the boss, but this exchange clearly showed who was really in charge. Seth didn't know Stephanie's motives, but he was glad that she was on his side. "Thank you, Stephanie. Thank you, Hunter. I'll let Dean know the good news."

He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Dean: "You're in."

* * *

Dean was leaning casually against Seth's rental car, when Seth finally got away from the arena.

"You been waiting long?" Seth asked as he unlocked the doors and both men got inside.

"Nah. Only five minutes or so."

Seth marveled at how traveling with Dean like this simultaneously felt totally natural and yet utterly surreal. He didn't really know how to act around his former best friend. Dean didn't seem to share Seth's uncertainty, though. He pushed his seat back as far as it would go, stretched his legs out, and asked casually, "So, what's the plan?"

Seth glanced at Dean and cocked his eyebrow. "What makes you think I have a plan?"

"Dude, I know you. You always have a plan," Dean answered.

Seth laughed. "Okay, you're right," he agreed. "Here's what I think we should do. So, you already have your match with Barrett booked for Sunday at Fastlane. You come out like always and start your match. I'll come out a little bit after you start. You look at me like you're confused about what I'm doing there, but you don't let me distract you from your match. Now, the announcers will be going nuts, asking what I'm doing there. They will all be convinced that I'm there to cost you the match. Now, if I see an opportunity to interfere and trip Barrett up without the referee noticing I'm gonna do it, but I won't risk getting you disqualified. It's important for you to look strong. After you win, I'm gonna come into the ring. Everybody's gonna be really suspicious of my motives, and I think you should play it up by looking at me really suspiciously too. I'll offer to shake your hand, and after some deliberation, you'll agree. Then you'll surprise everyone by pulling me into a big hug. Now we'll have everybody wondering what's going on. Am I leaving the Authority? Is the Shield getting back together? The crowd will be going wild. Then we'll start walking down the ramp together and the Authority will come out, all of them: Hunter, Stephanie, Big Show, Kane. It will look like we're totally outnumbered. But we'll just stare them down and keep walking toward them. And when we reach them, you'll crush everyone's hopes and dreams by shaking Hunter's and Stephanie's hands. The crowd's gonna hate us. It's gonna be great. What do you think?"

"I think it sounds perfect." Dean replied. He couldn't help noticing that Seth hadn't mentioned what would happen if he lost the match with Barrett, and he didn't think it was an oversight. Seth was the type that prepared for everything. So if Seth wasn't sharing an alternate plan, then that meant that he was one hundred percent certain that Dean was leaving Fastlane as the Intercontinental champion. Dean leaned back and smiled. A pleasant thought drifted through his mind: _I think I'm gonna like the dark side._


	4. Chapter 4 - Ramblings

**I was lucky enough to get to attend Fastlane live. So, if you, like everyone else, thought the crowd was terrible, now you have someone to blame. ;) Anyway, I know what actually happened at Fastlane, but things happened differently in this story. We are going AU from here on out. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4 - Ramblings

Triple H gripped the steering wheel of the rental car tightly as he drove to the hotel, trying to rein in his temper. Failing, he exploded, "What are you thinking welcoming Dean Ambrose into the Authority? Are you trying to ruin everything?"

Stephanie placed a calming hand on her husband's arm. "No, honey, I am trying to keep everything from being ruined. We knew all along that we wouldn't be able to keep Seth from his brothers forever. This way we keep both him and Dean under our thumb. You've seen how antsy Seth has been lately. Not being able to cash in his briefcase has been wearing on him. I think Dean wanting to join the Authority is actually a blessing in disguise. Seth will be distracted from his dissatisfaction, and, as a bonus, we get to control Ambrose."

"Let's be real here, though," Hunter countered. "There's no way we are ever going to have Dean Ambrose completely under our control. He's too unpredictable. That's one of the reasons we picked Seth instead. Remember? What makes you think that Dean won't come in, get what he can, and then leave again? Hell, he'll probably take Seth with him when he goes."

"Seth knows what will happen is he ever leaves us," Stephanie snapped sharply. She shook her head slightly and smoothed the skirt of her dress, taking time to regain her self-control. Her mouth curved into a slow smile. "Besides, I'm one step ahead of you. I already have a plan for how we can instill a little _loyalty_ into Mr. Ambrose. Don't worry about a thing, Hunter. I've got everything under control."

* * *

"So how do you feel, Mr. Intercontinental Champion?" Seth asked, grinning at Dean who was sprawled in the passenger's seat of their rental car, his newly won belt draped over his lap.

"I feel good. I'd forgotten how heavy these things are," Dean answered, holding up the belt and admiring its shine in the passing street lights.

"Did you see Barrett's face when I clocked him with the briefcase? He didn't know what hit him," Seth laughed.

"Yeah, he looked so cocky when you came down, too. Do you think I sold it well enough? I didn't give away the surprise, did I?" Dean asked. He kept telling himself that he didn't need Seth's approval. He wasn't trying to repair their friendship, after all, but a small insecure part of him wanted it just the same.

Seth replied without hesitation, "No way, man. You were perfect! I was almost afraid that you had changed your mind, you were so convincing. And when you shook Triple H's hand! I swear, you made this one kid cry. It couldn't have worked out any better!"

Dean leaned back basking in the glow of Seth's compliments. He could almost imagine that things were back like they were before. Seth just seemed so genuinely happy for him.

"So, do you regret it at all?" Seth asked quietly. "I mean, if you do, you could still play the whole thing off like you were just getting one over on all of us. The fans would probably cheer for you even more if you revealed that you had fooled me and the Authority."

Dean looked over at Seth, trying to catch his eye, but Seth's eyes remained stubbornly on the road in front of him. He could read the tension in Seth's body language, though, even if he couldn't see his face. Did Seth want him to bail on the Authority so soon? Was he so tense because he was afraid Dean would stay or because he was afraid he would leave? "Is that what you want me to do?" Dean asked.

Seth took a long time to answer. "It's what I think you should do," he finally forced out.

"That's not what I asked."

Seth tore his eyes from the road and looked over at his companion. The pain in his eyes startled Dean. "Of course, its not what I want. But this isn't about what I want. This is about what's best for you."

Dean knew that Seth had a point. Snapping his pay-per-view losing streak, winning the Intercontinental title, and duping the Authority were enough to rejuvenate his career. But why in the world was Seth trying to convince him of that? If he left the Authority now, he would make Seth look stupid. There wasn't anything good in it for Seth that Dean could see. Shouldn't Seth be trying to manipulate him into staying? Or maybe that was what he was trying to do? Was this some kind of reverse psychology? Trying to out-think Seth made Dean's head hurt.

"Look, I know you don't have any reason to believe me, but I'm not trying to play mind games here," Seth said, apparently picking up on Dean's line of thought. "I care about you. I promised Roman that I would look out for you, not that he took me seriously. I know it's hard to believe, but I never meant for things to be so bad between us. I thought... well, it doesn't matter what I thought. Teaming up again, being on the same side again, traveling together again, that all sounds wonderful for me. But you have to do what's best for you." Seth paused a few seconds, letting his words sink in. Then he added with a sly grin, "I bet I can make it worth your while to stay, though."

Dean smiled. Seth was a lying, sneaky bastard, but for some reason Dean believed him. "I'm gonna hold you to that, you know."

Seth whipped his head around to stare at him, clearly surprised. "You mean, you're staying?"

"Eyes on the road there, buddy. I want to get to the hotel in one piece," Dean cautioned.

Seth quickly turned to face front again.

"Yeah, I think I'll stick around a bit longer," Dean confirmed.

Seth's stiff posture relaxed. "Really? That's great! And I meant what I said about making it worth your while. Hey! We should go after the tag team championships next! We've never been tag champs together. Think of the matches we could put on with Cesaro and Kidd. I bet Steph and Hunter would totally give us a shot when we ask. But maybe we should beat a few other teams first. Build up some credibility..."

Dean half-listened as Seth rambled on. In his anger and hurt, he had somehow forgotten this side of his friend - how Seth could rattle on, examining every possibility and evaluating every strategy, contentedly for hours.

"As cool as you would look with two belts, though, wouldn't it be even more badass if you went after the U.S. title as well?" Seth continued uninterrupted. "And then after I cash in and win the WWE World Heavyweight title, you could turn on me, saying those three belts aren't enough; you want mine too. That would be epic."

Dean, finally tuning in to Seth's ramblings, cut in, "But wouldn't you be upset if I did that?"

"Why would I be upset?" Seth asked. "It would be a win-win situation. Every great championship reign is marked by the strength of its rivalries. And we already know you make an excellent rival. I mean, it's not like we would have to take it personally off-camera, right? Just think of the story line we could create! We would both come out of it looking like stars. We could probably even extend it out so we could main event several pay-per-views in a row." Seth tapped his fingers on the steering wheel thoughtfully. "Maybe it would be best, though, if we started out friendly, just trying to prove who was the best. Then of course things would get heated..." Seth rambled on, arguing with himself over the best way to engineer their future breakup and battles.

Something suddenly clicked into place in Dean's mind as Seth continued to daydream out loud. He had forgotten or perhaps disregarded this part of Seth too - the part that could happily suggest that Dean should stab him in the back in order to benefit them both professionally. Dean realized that Seth wouldn't take such an action personally. No, he would gleefully plot with him in private on what atrocious act he should commit next. For the first time since Seth had destroyed the Shield, Dean wondered if maybe Seth really wasn't trying to hurt them with his betrayal. Maybe he really was just trying to turn them all into bigger stars. Looking over as Seth cheerfully chattered on, Dean wondered if maybe he and Roman had gotten it wrong all along.

* * *

"Hey, that was great, man," Seth congratulated Dean after defeating Kofi Kingston and Big E of New Day the next night on Raw. "We win a couple more like that and even Michael Cole won't be able to say we don't belong in a match for the tag team championships."

"Yeah, it was fun," Dean agreed. It had been fun, too. Teaming with Seth felt natural and easy. They had even managed to stymie an interference attempt by Wade Barrett. Dean hadn't planned on ever trusting Seth again, but he had only been an official member of the Authority for two days and the little scumbag was already worming his way back into Dean's heart. It was hard not to like someone who made him look like a winner.

"I think I'm gonna go down to catering. You wanna come?" Seth offered.

"Nah, I think I'm just gonna hit the showers."

"Okay. I'll catch you a little later. Hey, you remember that Hunter and Steph want me to ride with them back to the hotel, right? They want to talk to me privately about something. Probably you. You've got the keys to the rental, right?"

"Got 'em. See you later." Dean showered quickly, enjoying the relative privacy of the Authority's locker room. He could definitely get used to not fighting with twenty other guys over space and shower time. When he walked out, pondering whether he should try to track down Roman - they hadn't talked since Fastlane - Stephanie was waiting for him.

"Dean," she said with a smile. "Just the man I wanted to see. Look, my curiosity is killing me. I just have to ask: When did Seth tell you?"

Dean stared at her blankly. "When did Seth tell me what?"

"Oh, come on," Stephanie nudged him playfully. 'There's no need to play coy. No one is going to get in trouble. It's just that Hunter and I had a bet going on how long he'd be able to hold out, and I want to know who won."

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Dean answered honestly.

"Wow. He really hasn't told you? I guess Hunter had a better read on him than I thought. Oh well. Can't win them all. See you around, Dean." Stephanie offered him a little finger wave as she turned to walk off.

"Stephanie, wait," Dean called, reaching for her arm. "You can't just walk away like that. What did you think Seth had told me?"

A satisfied smile spread across Stephanie's face, but she changed her expression to one of careful consideration before turning to face Dean. "Well," she finally said, "I guess it can't hurt to tell you now, not since both you and Seth have... um... bought in."

Dean waited impatiently for her to continue. "Go on," he prompted.

"Well, you know how Seth always says that we gave him an offer that he couldn't refuse? He wasn't exaggerating. We told him that he had to join the Authority, or we would fire all three of you. He chose wisely."

Stephanie smiled, patted a stunned and silent Dean Ambrose on the arm affectionately, then turned to walk away. Pleased, she thought smugly to herself, _Now Dean won't betray Seth because he knows that he owes him his career. And Seth won't betray us because he doesn't want to risk Dean's success or getting them all fired. Mission accomplished._


	5. Chapter 5 - Reasons Why

Chapter 5 - Reasons Why

Seth sat on the hotel bed, staring into space. When he sat down, he had intended to turn on the T.V., play on his phone, read a book, _something_. But instead he found himself lost in his thoughts, the remote, phone, and book lying unused on the bedside table. For an obsessive planner like Seth, the unexpected events of the last few days had left him feeling disconcerted. If asked, he would never have predicted that Dean would voluntarily decide to join the Authority, but then again Dean was nothing if not unpredictable. Dean's decision may have been rash and motivated by frustration, but Seth was thankful for it just the same. If fate was willing to deign him this second chance, he had every intention of making the most of it. It was just so nice to have Dean at his side again.

The sound of the door opening woke Seth from his daze. "Hey," he greeted as Dean walked into the room. "It took you a while to get here. Did you run into any troub—"

Seth's pleasantries were interrupted by Dean's fist colliding with his face. "Shit, man," Seth exclaimed covering his face protectively with his hands and scrambling to stand out of Dean's reach. "What did I do now?"

"Were you ever gonna tell me?" Dean demanded angrily.

Seth surveyed his friend, trying to figure out what might have made him so upset. Dean stood with his eyes glinting and his hands at his sides, his fingers coiling and uncoiling repeatedly. The look on his face, though, seemed to hold more hurt than anger. Seth had absolutely no idea what Dean was so distressed about, but he was pretty sure that wasn't what Dean wanted to hear. "You're gonna have to help me out here, man," Seth finally said. "Was I ever gonna tell you what?"

"Oh, I don't know," Dean answered sarcastically. "How about how you just joined the Authority to save our jobs?"

Seth paled. "Who told you that?"

"Stephanie."

Seth sank back down onto the bed, temporarily tongue-tied. When his mouth finally became operable again, he said the first thing that popped into his head. "Why the hell are you punching me in the face for saving your job?"

"I wasn't punching you for saving my job, you idiot. I was punching you for letting me hate you for the past nine months," Dean responded heatedly.

"Oh," Seth replied softly. Somehow this explanation made perfect sense coming from Dean. He rubbed his sore jaw. "I... I couldn't tell you," he stuttered.

"Why? Did Triple H and Stephanie threaten you?" Though Dean's voice was quiet and steady, his tone was neither calm nor understanding. Every muscle in his body seemed to be tensed, ready for a fight.

"Well, yeah, but that's not the reason I couldn't tell. I mean, it's partly the reason, but..." Seth paused to marshal his thoughts. He really did not want to be having this conversation right now. For some reason, it seemed easier to just let Dean and Roman think he was a scumbag than to try to explain the complicated truth. But Seth had been blessed with this second chance, and he didn't want to ruin it with lies. No, if he was going to ruin it with something, it was going to be with honesty. "The thing is, I'm not a freaking martyr here, man," Seth explained. "If I had wanted to, I probably could have come up with a way out, but the truth is, I didn't even try."

"So Triple H and Stephanie did tell you that you had to join the Authority, or they would fire all three of us? That was true?" Dean clarified.

"Yes."

"But when they told you this, instead of trying to figure out a work-around or telling us, you just went along with it?" Dean continued.

"Yes," Seth answered again. "I was scared to tell you and Roman. They said if they found out I told you, they would fire us all."

Some of the tension seemed to seep out of Dean's body as he took a seat on the bed opposite Seth's. "That sounds reasonable enough. What's the problem then? Why do you feel so guilty?"

"Don't you get it, Dean? I didn't even _try_ to get out of it!"

"I understand that. But tell me this, Seth. If you had tried, how do you think you could have done it?"

"I don't know!" Seth exploded, rising from the bed and beginning to pace. "The point is, part of me _wanted_ to join the Authority."

"Why?" Dean asked calmly.

"Because I could see how beneficial it would be for me," Seth explained loudly as he continued to pace back and forth across the small room. "The Shield had to end sometime. Roman was poised to be the breakout star. I was afraid of getting lost in the shuffle. This way I wouldn't. And I didn't! And I was pretty sure we would all come out of it bigger stars. And we did! I just... I just didn't think it would hurt so bad. I thought you and Roman would get it, you know? I thought you would suspect that there was more to the story. But you didn't. And I was mad that you didn't. But I couldn't really be mad because, at the end of the day, I betrayed you for my own personal gain. But I also did it for you. I don't know!" Seth kicked the bed in frustration.

Dean's lips quirked in concealed amusement. "Let me see if I've got this straight," he said. "You feel guilty because your motives for joining the Authority weren't completely pure?"

"Yeah, I guess," Seth agreed, stopping his pacing and flopping back on the bed.

"Poor little Sethie," Dean chuckled. "Making the right decision for the wrong reasons. Or maybe making the wrong decision for the right reasons? I'm not sure."

"This isn't funny, Dean."

"It is kinda funny. I've spent all this time time thinking you're a selfish, traitorous douche-bag and now I find out the truth and you have every right to be a self-righteous asshole to me, but instead you're beating yourself up because your motives might have been a little morally dubious."

"I still haven't told you everything, though," Seth said softly, not looking at Dean.

"Well, lay it on me."

"I..." Seth tore his eyes from the ceiling and turned to look at Dean. "I kinda like being a bad guy. You know, when we broke in together, we didn't worry about being good guys. We didn't worry about whether the crowd liked us or not. We did what we wanted, when we wanted, to whomever we wanted. And I liked it like that. But then, we shifted our mindset, and it was cool for a while but also a little constraining, you know? I just don't think I'm really a white hat kind of guy. But Roman, he is, and I don't want to mess that up for him. And you really seemed to be digging it, too. I mean, it seemed like you were really ready to go straight. And I didn't want to ruin that for you, but I wasn't ready to join you either. I just wanted to embrace the dark side, you know? But I didn't want to drag you down that path with me if it wasn't where you wanted to go anymore, so I thought it was better if I left."

This time, Dean couldn't hide his amusement as his lips curled into a pleased smirk. "So you left because you were afraid you would be a bad influence on me? How adorable. Seth, you are truly the most moral immoral person I know."

"Ugh," Seth groaned. "It all sounds so stupid when I say it out loud. It made sense in my head."

"Oh, I don't know. I think it's kind of sweet. I don't think I've ever had anybody worry about being a bad influence on me before. It's usually the other way around."

"Shut up." Seth grabbed a pillow and threw it in Dean's direction. They sat in a companionable silence for several minutes.

"Look, Seth," Dean said reluctantly after a while, "I hate to mess up this nice moment we're having, but even though I may believe you, Ro's gonna have a hard time buying it. I mean you've done a lot of nasty things to us, especially me. If you never really hated me, why'd you do all that?"

Seth sighed. "It's complicated. A lot of things I was ordered to do. I felt like the more convincingly I did them, the less they would ask me to do in the future. Hunter and Stephanie like to treat people like puppets, you know? So I needed to convince them that I really had bought in, so they would stop pulling my strings just to put me in my place. Somewhere along the way, the line between pretending to buy in so they had less ammunition to use against me and really buying in so that I could reap the benefits got a bit blurred. And then as time went on, I got pissed off that you and Rome didn't even try to talk to me and figure things out and that influenced my actions too. But I wasn't ever really trying to hurt you, at least not permanently anyway."

Dean snorted. "You know that would be a lot more convincing if you hadn't curb stomped by head through _cinder blocks_, right? I know you were mad that me and Ro didn't try to figure out what was going on, but even so, cinder blocks are a little extreme, don't you think?"

"Oh, come on. That's not fair," Seth answered. "We both know that those cinder blocks were fake."

"You might know that," Dean replied, "but I know no such thing."

"You're kidding, right?" Seth asked incredulously. "Your head went through one of them. How could you not know that they were fake?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I was too busy worrying about my head getting crushed to properly evaluate the cinder blocks' authenticity."

Seth looked at Dean intently. He seemed to be telling the truth, but Seth still had his doubts. How could he not have known? "Okay, so I can buy that you didn't figure it out at the time, but you didn't guess afterward? I mean, when you watched it back didn't you wonder why it smashed so easily?"

"I never watched it back."

"Really?"

Dean sighed. "Yes, really, Seth. Seeing my ex-bestfriend trying to smash my skull wasn't something I was really excited to relive."

"But didn't you wonder why you weren't seriously injured?" Seth asked.

"I just thought I was lucky."

"What about Roman though?" Seth persisted. "He had to know they were fake right? I mean, he aimed one at my head after all."

"If he knew, he never told me," Dean answered honestly.

"Really? God, I... I just always thought you knew." Seth turned his head away from Dean. He wanted to bury it under a pillow. He just couldn't fathom that his friends could believe that he would do something like that. Suddenly he sat straight up. "Wait a minute! What about the cinder blocks at Hell In The Cell? Were those real?"

"Mm hmm," Dean affirmed.

"So you're telling me that you were planning on using _real_ cinder blocks on me at Hell In The Cell?" Seth asked disbelievingly, his voice rising in both volume and pitch. "What's wrong with you? You could've killed me!"

"Hey! You did it to me first!" Dean yelled defensively.

"I did not! I used fake ones," Seth retorted.

"Well I didn't know that!"

"But you should've!"

The two men stared at each other angrily. Finally Dean looked away. "Look, Seth," he said in a calmer tone, "I don't know what to tell you. I did what I did. I can't change it. But you have to remember that I didn't actually injure you with them."

"But you wanted to," Seth replied petulantly.

"Part of me did," Dean agreed. "But I didn't."

Seth's anger deflated. "I know, it's just that... I mean, I knew you were mad at me. And I knew you were hurt. But I never thought that you would think that I would really try to hurt you like that. I guess I thought that even though we were fighting, we still understood each other on some level."

"I'm so sorry to disappoint you," Dean muttered bitterly.

"Dean, no," Seth responded urgently. "I'm not trying to blame you. It's just scary to think that we were so broken, and I didn't even realize."

"Well, we don't have to be broken anymore."

"Yeah."

Seth and Dean sat together for several minutes in silence. The quiet was eventually broken by Seth voicing the nagging concern that had been lurking in the back of his mind. "Dean? Do you think Roman thought he was throwing a real cinder block at my head?"

"You have to let this go," Dean replied dismissively.

"I know, but, it's like my life is flashing before my eyes right now. I could have died," Seth whined.

"You're overreacting. He missed."

"I know, but..."

"Seth. Let it go."

"But..."

"Seth," Dean said firmly.

"Okay," Seth acquiesced. "I'm gonna take this up with Roman, though."

"Whatever, man. I'm gonna get ready for bed." Dean got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom.

After several minutes, Seth called through the closed bathroom door, "Hey, Dean?"

"What?"

"Are we okay?"

"Yeah. We're okay," Dean answered decisively.

And they were. For the first time in a long time, they were truly okay.


	6. Chapter 6 - Déjà vu

Chapter 6 - Déjà vu

Seth felt good, if a bit sweaty, after a short but hard run on the treadmill in the hotel's gym. Dean had given him a hard time when he had told him that he was going to work out after the show, but sometimes a good cardio session was exactly what he needed to relieve tension and clear his head, even if it was late. And Seth definitely needed to clear his head. He hadn't talked to Roman since his former friend had barged into his hotel room the morning Dean had decided to join the Authority. He knew that Dean had been in contact with Roman and was eager for the two of them to work things out, but Seth had been dragging his feet. He was worried that Roman wouldn't be as forgiving as Dean had been. Dean may be hot-tempered, but he also had a depth of caring that Seth had never seen before. Roman was different. He was usually slow to anger but once you cross a certain line, that's it - you're out. Seth was pretty sure he had crossed that line a long time ago and that no explanations or apologies would be able to fix it. That thought alone was almost enough to make Seth turn around and go for another run, but it was almost midnight. He needed to get some sleep.

Arriving at his room, Seth fished for the hotel key he had tucked into the armband that held his phone, dropping his phone in the process. Cursing under his breath as he stooped to pick it up, he suddenly understood why wrestlers of the past almost always wore fanny packs; they would be really convenient if they weren't so tacky. As he pushed open the door, he wondered where one would buy a fanny pack today. Surely Amazon would have some; they have everything. Seth's fanny pack contemplations were brought to an abrupt end, however, when he saw Roman sitting on the bed, _his bed_, talking happily with Dean. A strange feeling of déjà vu washed over him. Roman and Dean's conversation quieted as they turned to look at Seth. Seth's heart started to race, but he was determined to hide his anxiety. He decided to act flippant. "You know, if you two are planning on tying me up again, I'd like to request purple duct tape this time. I've always preferred purple to pink."

Seth's quip earned him a small smile from Roman.

"You been avoiding me?" Roman asked mildly.

Seth took a deep breath and admonished himself to be nice. Whereas something about Dean allowed Seth to be vulnerable, interacting with Roman inevitably brought out his inner defensive jerk. It wasn't that they hadn't gotten along well when they were together in the Shield - they got along great - it was simply that Seth always felt like he had something to prove when it came to Roman that he didn't feel around Dean. Though his first instinct was to close himself off, he knew he would have to break down his walls if he was going to have any chance of repairing his friendship with Roman.

"Yeah, pretty much," Seth answered.

"Why?" Roman asked.

Seth glanced at Dean before answering. He looked calm, but Seth wondered if he was nervous about how this would all turn out. After all, it affected him almost as much as it affected Seth and Roman. Dean gave him a small nod, encouraging him to answer the question.

"I was afraid," Seth said simply.

"Surely, after everything Dean has told me, you don't think that I would try to beat you up or something without at least giving you a chance to plead your case first?" Roman asked, surprised.

"I _thought_ that after we spent nearly every minute of every day together for almost two years that you would come to me and demand an explanation when I suddenly did something completely out of character," Seth snapped bitterly, "but I was wrong. Besides I'm not afraid of you. I can take you any day of the week."

Roman flinched.

Ah, there he was, the inner defensive jerk that Seth had been concerned about. And he was making an appearance so early in this confrontation, too. Seth closed his eyes and counted silently to ten. "I'm sorry, Roman. That was completely uncalled for," he apologized. Roman nodded in acknowledgement.

Seth pulled out the desk chair and sat down, but the position brought up too many negative memories of the last time they had all been in a hotel room together, so he stood up again and sat down facing Roman on the bed instead. He decided to try again. "I'm afraid that you won't be able to forgive me," Seth confessed sincerely. "As long as we don't talk, I can pretend everything is going to be okay, but after we do..." He trailed off, even now unable to voice his worst fear, that Roman would refuse to forgive him and that he would lose Dean again in the process.

Roman shifted slightly looking uncomfortable. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to forgive you. I don't know if anything you're saying is true. I mean, I know Dean believes you." Roman glanced guiltily at Dean. "But you're good at manipulating people, Seth, messing with their minds. You take pride in being able to do that. How do I know that this isn't some big lie you and Stephanie concocted for some scheme or another?"

"You don't," Seth answered helplessly. "You can't know for sure. I don't have an ounce of proof that I can give you to ease your mind. You're just gonna have to decide based on everything you knew about me before and everything you know now whether you think you can believe me or not. I'll try to answer any questions you have as honestly as I can to help you decide. But that's the best I can do."

"Fair enough," Roman agreed. "I'll get straight to the point. There's one huge obstacle standing in the way of me really believing you and that's this: If it is true that one of the big reasons you joined the Authority was so that we wouldn't all be fired, then why in the world did you work so hard to bring them back? It seems like no matter how beneficial they are to you, after everything they've done to you, to _us_, you would never want them back."

Dean suddenly sat up straight. "Yeah, I didn't think about that. Why did you bring back the Authority?"

Seth's face turned bright red, but he forced himself to answer anyway. "They were, um, blackmailing me," Seth explained uncomfortably. "If I didn't bring them back to power, they said they would expose some information that I didn't want exposed. They gave me a time limit. I was getting pretty desperate by the time I did what I did to Edge."

Roman and Dean watched as Seth squirmed restlessly waiting for him to say more, but he didn't continue. "So what did they have on you?" Dean demanded finally.

"God, this is so embarrassing," Seth muttered as he undid and redid the ponytail in his hair, a nervous gesture that both Roman and Dean knew well. "They had proof that I... I... I cheated on Brittany," Seth stammered. He undid his ponytail again and stared at his hands as he played with the hair elastic, too ashamed to look at his friends.

"You cheated on your fiancée?" Dean blurted out, raising his voice in disbelief.

"Yeah. I mean, it was just one time. I know that doesn't make it better, but..." Seth felt like throwing himself out the window. Anything would be better than this.

"Why?" Dean exclaimed. "Brittany was great! She was gorgeous, and cool, and you got along great! Why would you do that?"

Seth would have laughed at Dean's over-the-top reaction if the whole situation wasn't so humiliating. He hadn't been aware that Dean held Brittany in such high regard. "It's not like I really thought it through," he explained. "Brittany and I had a fight. I didn't have you guys to talk to. I don't really have any other close friends in the WWE. I was angry and sad and lonely, and Mariah was there..." Seth shrugged sadly. "I know it was wrong."

Roman, who hadn't said a word during Seth's confession or Dean's questioning, suddenly spoke up, "So that whole nude picture scandal was because you had an affair with Mariah?"

"Yeah, and I know what you're gonna say: I got what I deserved. I know it, okay? You don't have to rub it in."

Roman's mind, however, was somewhere else completely. "So did Triple H and Stephanie engineer the photo leak, then?"

"Oh, no. They were pissed when it happened. It was a stupid accident."

"Accident?" Dean asked. "How do nude photos accidentally—"

"Wait, Dean," Roman interrupted. "I'm trying to figure something out here. So Trips and Steph can't use the cheating thing against you anymore then, right? Brittany knows already?"

"Right."

"And they don't have anything else to blackmail you with?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well, have you done anything else stupid that they might know about?" Roman asked pointedly.

"No. I mean, I don't think so." Seth thought for a minute. "I'm almost one hundred percent sure they don't have anything else on me."

"Almost?" Roman asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, come on," Seth exclaimed defensively. "I haven't _done_ anything else, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have framed me somehow."

"Well, I still want to know how naked photos got uploaded to Twitter 'accidentally,'" Dean interjected.

"Wait, Dean," Roman urged again. "So, technically you could leave the Authority now if you wanted to, right?" he asked Seth.

"Uh, if you don't mind us all getting fired, I can."

"They're still threatening you with that?" Dean asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Seth looked at Dean dejectedly. "They kindly reminded me of that fact just recently. Remember when they wanted to give me a ride back to the hotel? That was what they wanted to talk about."

"So, all we have to do is figure out a way to neutralize that threat then," Roman stated coolly.

Seth stared at Roman in shock. "Does that mean you believe me then?"

"Yeah." Roman nodded.

"But why?" Seth asked, astonished. "I've only answered one question so far."

"That's all I needed to know. Dean already believed you, and his opinion means a lot. I just couldn't figure out why you would bring back the Authority if what you were claiming was true. Now I know."

"Man, if I'd known it was going to be that easy, I would have talked to you a long time ago."

Roman smiled. "Well, the important thing now is to figure out how to fix it."

"I just don't know." Seth responded. "I've been racking my brain for months, but I haven't been able to—"

"Wait a minute," Dean interrupted. "Roman may be satisfied, but I still want to know how nude pictures of you ended up on Twitter."

"Really, Dean? You really can't let this go? Well, if you _must_ know," Seth explained in an exasperated tone, "Mariah texted me that photo a little after our hook-up. I wasn't interested, so I deleted it. Well, I thought I deleted it. But I guess it got saved in the cloud or something. I don't really know. Anyway, Brittany found it, put two and two together, posted Mariah's picture on my Twitter, then posted the pictures of me in retaliation. Is that a good enough explanation for you? Are you happy now?"

"Yep, that's good," Dean answered, ignoring Seth's obvious irritation. "Remind me not to piss Brittany off. She seems like a sweet girl, but man, that's brutal."

"Don't cheat on her, and you should be just fine," Seth mumbled. He fiddled distractedly with his hair elastic, feeling ashamed. He really wanted this topic of conversation to be over.

Roman, picking up on Seth's distress, stepped in. "If Dean's satisfied, we really should get back to the matter at hand. We need to figure out how to eliminate the threat of being fired. How close are you to getting a chance at the tag team championship?"

Both Dean and Seth looked puzzled at this apparent non sequitur. "Uh, close?" Seth answered. "We could probably get a shot whenever, but we were trying to look like we earned it, rather than having it gifted to us. Why?"

Roman smiled mysteriously. "Because, you should move up the timetable. I think I have a plan."

* * *

**Author's note: Alright, so I chose not to use the real names of Seth's fiancée or the girl whose picture was posted to Seth's Twitter account. This story is about the characters portrayed on WWE TV, not the real people who play them. Admittedly, this chapter treads close to that line, but the scandal fit too neatly into my story to ignore completely. I still felt it was best, though, to fictionalize the women involved since they are not currently showcased on WWE TV. Also, this goes without saying, but I know nothing about what really happened behind the scenes, and this chapter should not be taken as my speculation on what actually happened.**

**I also want to thank everyone who has taken the time to leave a review. It means so much to me! I want to thank lremmy in particular. Your consistent reviews and kind words have helped me find the energy to continue this story when I felt like letting it drop. Thank you!**

**wharfcoyote**


	7. Chapter 7 - We All Win

Chapter 7 - We All Win

Seth and Dean wasted no time in putting Roman's plan into action. The very next day they went to Triple H and Stephanie and requested a tag team title shot against Cesaro and Tyson Kidd. Their request was granted, and the match was soon scheduled for the main event of Monday Night Raw.

"I should have joined the Authority ages ago," Dean remarked as they were warming up for the match. "Title shots, wrestling in the main event, tagging with my brother: this is great!"

Seth grinned at Dean's enthusiasm. "You know that you saying that is kinda ironic, seeing as we're actively working toward getting _out_ of the Authority, right?"

Dean shrugged, unbothered. "Might as well enjoy it while we can. We're gonna be out again before you know it."

"Let's not get too excited," Seth warned. "We haven't even won the tag belts yet."

"Relax, man. We have it in the bag," Dean assured him.

Seth didn't relax - this step was too essential to their plan to be anything less than vigilant - but Dean turned out to be right just the same. The match was a hard fought, back-and-forth affair, but ultimately Dean and Seth walked out victorious.

"You know, man, I really think you should trying relaxing a little," Dean suggested again as he and Seth were driving back to the hotel after the show. "It looks like you're trying to strangle the steering wheel with your bare hands."

Seth loosened his grip on the wheel and glanced quickly at his friend. Dean was sitting with both Tag Team belts and his Intercontinental belt lying in his lap, grinning from ear to ear. "I guess I'm just stressed," Seth explained. "I really want everything to work out."

"Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. Phase one is already complete. Everything else is going to go smoothly. And if it doesn't, we'll figure something else out. You're not by yourself anymore."

Dean's words caused a wave of relief to flow through Seth's body. _I'm not alone anymore_ he marveled. If things did go wrong, he had two people by his side to help pick up the pieces. Seth smiled and turned his attention to Dean. "How are you feeling? That dropkick Kidd hit you with off Cesaro's swing looked nasty."

"Eh, I'm alright. It's nothing a little time won't heal. To tell you the truth, I'm more worried about being crushed under all these belts."

"You could have put them in the trunk like I suggested, you know."

"The trunk!" Dean looked horrified. "I'm not letting these babies out of my sight. In fact, I plan on giving them a good buffing when we get back to the hotel. It is obvious that Cesaro and Kidd had no idea how to take care of a championship belt properly."

Seth chuckled a little but turned serious again as he asked, "Do you feel bad at all? For taking the belts from Cesaro and Kidd?"

"Why should I feel bad?" Dean asked, genuinely confused. "No one interfered. We didn't even cheat. We won fair and square."

"I know. But we only got the shot because we're members of the Authority."

Dean looked at Seth shrewdly. "We got the shot because we're awesome. Besides, I thought that was what you liked about being a part of the Authority: the opportunities it affords you?"

"I do," Seth agreed hesitantly. "But I guess I also want respect, you know? Right now everybody just sees me as this whiny cry baby who runs to mommy and daddy all the time to get my way."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that you earned Cesaro and Kidd's respect tonight. Really, you were fantastic," Dean offered reassuringly. "But it's a good thing we're working to get you out of the Authority. You might think you want to embrace your inner villain, but I think you're too good to be a bad guy much longer."

"What can I say? You bring out the best in me," Seth replied teasingly.

Dean's eyes glinted happily. "I know," he said. "It's a curse."

* * *

The next week at Raw, Seth and Dean watched the monitor nervously as Roman initiated phase two of their plan. As the show kicked off, Roman purposefully made his way to the ring amid the routine mix of cheers and boos that followed him from arena to arena. When he reached the ring, he demanded a microphone and began to speak. "I've had more than my fair share of people telling me I can't lately." The crowd jeered. "And from the sound of things, a lot of doubters are right here in the arena with me tonight." Roman paused, allowing a chorus of boos to wash over him. "I've decided to turn those doubters into believers. Now, I can't face Brock Lesnar. He's not here."

"He's never here," Seth muttered irritably, eyes glued to the screen.

"So I've decided to challenge the next best thing: the unpinned, unsubmitted Bulgarian Brute, Rusev. Rusev, I'm calling you out. Me and you tonight for the United States championship!"

Rusev's music began to play as Rusev and Lana made their way to the top of the ramp. "You stupid man," Lana said derisively when the music stopped playing. "Why do you think Rusev, the hero of the Russian Federation, would risk his United States championship tonight when he already has a title match with John Cena scheduled for WrestleMania?"

"It's very simple, sweetheart," Roman answered smoothly, "I'm willing to offer you something even better. I want to prove myself at Rusev's expense? Well, there's no reward without risk. You give me this title shot tonight, and if I lose, Rusev can take my place in the WWE World Heavyweight title match with Brock Lesnar."

An audible gasp arose from the crowd. In the back, Seth chewed on his thumb nail nervously while he and Dean watched Rusev and Lana confer. "This was a bad idea," Seth worried aloud. "Roman shouldn't have put his title shot on the line. We would've been alright without the U.S. title."

"He'll be fine," Dean replied confidently.

On the screen, Lana and Rusev broke from their huddle. "You're on," Lana said.

Dean pumped his fist in satisfaction. Seth felt like he was going to throw up.

It was hard for Seth to make it through the rest of the show. He wanted to be at Roman's side, offering moral support, but he couldn't. In public, they had to pretend to still hate each other for the sake of the plan. By the time Roman entered the ring for the main event, Seth was a complete wreck. He wondered how Roman was holding up under the pressure.

"What's the problem?" Dean asked. "You don't think he can do it, or what?"

"It's not that. I just hate for him to take such a big risk for me."

"It's for all of us, you goofball," Dean said, slapping Seth on the back. "All of our jobs are on the line here."

"But if I stay with the Authority, our jobs are safe."

"So it's okay for you to make sacrifices for us, but we can't do the same for you?" Dean asked, raising his eyebrows. "I don't think so, buddy. I know Roman hasn't said this to you directly yet, but he feels bad for not figuring things out earlier. For some reason, he thinks he's responsible for looking out for us or something." Dean rolled his eyes. "Anyway, this is his way of showing you how important you are to him."

"Being in the Authority has had its benefits, you know. It wasn't all sacrifice," Seth protested.

"And when Roman wins, he gets to be United States champion. It's not all sacrifice for him either," Dean said pointedly. They turned their attention back to the monitor. Rusev had joined Roman in the ring. The bell rang.

The match was brutal. Even Dean began to look worried as the match progressed.

"You think we should go out there?" Seth asked worriedly.

"And have Roman kill us for ruining the plan? I don't think so," Dean answered, but he looked unsure.

"If things keep going like this, Ro won't make it to WrestleMania," Seth muttered.

"Well, look at the bright side. If he goes down, he's definitely taking Rusev down with him," Dean countered.

Finally, the tide began to turn. Rusev tried to walk away from the match, declaring it not worth his effort, but Roman stopped him with a leap over the top rope. He tossed Rusev back into the ring and hit him with a Superman punch. Seth and Dean held their breath as Roman prepared for the spear. Spear to Rusev! One, two, no! Rusev kicked out. Seth groaned, but on the screen Roman got up, undeterred, and prepared for a second spear. This time Rusev failed to kick out. Dean and Seth hugged each other joyfully as Lilian Garcia announced Roman as the new United States champion. Phase two was a success.

* * *

Roman, Seth, and Dean had to wait all the way until the last Monday Night Raw before WrestleMania to enact the third phase of their plan. Seth was much less nervous this time around - not because this phase was less difficult; if anything it was more prone to failure than either of the two previous steps - but because this time he was an active participant. He always felt better when his fate was in his own hands.

When Brock Lesnar's music hit, Seth nudged Dean. "Game time," he said. Seth and Dean each grabbed a metal chair and hurried to the ring. They didn't want to give Brock enough time to find of a weapon of his own once he saw them coming. When they hit the ring, Dean immediately turned his attention to Paul Heyman. Paul may not be a wrestler, but he was wily and experienced and needed to be dispatched in order for their plan to be successful. Left alone with the Beast, Seth managed to get in several solid chair shots before Brock was able to disarm him. Brock was only able to get in a couple of punches, though, before Dean entered the fray. As Dean began to land several chair shots of his own, Roman's music rang out through the arena.

Seth did his best to look properly surprised. He tried to arrange his features into a good 'Oh no! My evil plan might be foiled!' look. As Roman descended through the crowd, Seth couldn't help but imagine what the announcers might be saying.

"There's Roman Reigns!" Michael Cole would yell.

"What does he think he's doing?" JBL would grouse. "He has no business being out here!"

"No business being out here?" Booker T would argue. "That's his WrestleMania opponent being destroyed in there!"

"But, what's he going to do?" they would all wonder.

The crowd was on its feet in anticipation. Roman entered the ring, sliding under the bottom rope. Seth and Dean halted their attack on Brock, whirling to face Roman, allowing Brock to rise to his feet. The brief stare down between the three former Shield members ended when Roman unexpectedly speared Lesnar. Brock tried valiantly to get up, only to be curb stomped back to the canvas by Seth. Then Roman signaled for the triple powerbomb, and the crowd erupted. Roman, Dean, and Seth lifted a still struggling Brock Lesnar and powerbombed him to the mat. Unsatisfied, Roman called for a second triple powerbomb, then a third. Finally, the Beast lay motionless.

Seth retrieved his briefcase from the corner of the ring where he had dropped it when the attack began. "I'm cashing it in," he announced urgently as he shoved it toward the timekeeper. A referee quickly ran to the ring, and one, two, three, the bell rang and he was being announced as the new WWE World Heavyweight champion. Dean jumped into the ring and gave him a huge hug in celebration. The referee handed him the belt which he took dazedly. He felt like he was in a dream. The noise in the arena was ear-splitting. The crowd wasn't sure if they were happy about what just happened, but they were overjoyed at being able to witness it.

As he exited the ring, Seth noticed Paul Heyman beginning to stir. Paul looked around in horror as Roman entered the ring, microphone in hand. "Paul," Roman stated, "I told you time and time again that I don't like people telling me I can't. I tried to warn you, but you just wouldn't listen. You kept on and on, telling me again and again that I can't beat Brock Lesnar, that I can't beat the Beast. I know that I can, but that is beside the point now. You miscalculated, Paul. You went and pissed me off. So even though I can beat Brock Lesnar, I won't. I won't, because your client is no longer WWE World Heavyweight champion. You and Brock can just sit this WrestleMania out, because I will be facing the new WWE World Heavyweight champion and sell-out extraordinaire, Seth Rollins."

At the mention of his name, Seth held the title high, trying to look smug and arrogant though he actually felt quite disoriented. Dean put his arm around Seth's shoulders and pointed at the belt, happily mouthing off at Roman.

"But Seth," Roman continued, "if we're going to do this thing, we should do it right. I think we should make this a little family reunion. So what do you say? Me, you, and Dean. Triple threat for the WWE World Heavyweight title at the main event of WrestleMania." Roman pointed at the WrestleMania sign as the crowd exploded in approval. "I think even mommy and daddy in the back would agree that that would be 'best for business.' But make no mistake, Seth, your reign as champion is already on borrowed time. I'm going to walk out of WrestleMania as WWE World Heavyweight champion. Believe that." And he dropped the microphone.

Phase three complete.

* * *

WrestleMania was scheduled to begin in exactly one and a half hours, and Seth was pacing restlessly back and forth in the out-of-the-way area near the loading docks that they had chosen to wait in to meet Roman.

"This'll work, right?" he asked, nominally to Dean but mostly to himself. "I mean, it has to work. They would have to be idiots to disagree. It will definitely work. Right?"

Dean leaned against a wall, watching Seth pace. _And people think I'm twitchy_, he thought. Dean had long since given up trying to offer his friend reassurances. It was useless. He pushed off the wall as he saw Roman approaching. "I guess we're about to find out," he said.

Roman, Dean, and Seth marched to the temporary office Triple H and Stephanie had set up at Levi's Stadium, the home of this year's WrestleMania, and barged in without knocking. Stephanie looked up in surprise when Roman slapped a thick stack of papers down on her desk. "We have some revisions to our contracts that we need you to sign," he told her bluntly.

Stephanie looked at the papers disdainfully as Hunter walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I don't know who you think you are," she said, "but we have the biggest show of the year to put on in a little over an hour. Whatever this is about, it will have to wait."

"It can't wait," Seth said as he slouched down casually in the chair in front of her desk. To his left, Dean followed suit, and Roman pulled a chair from the corner and joined him on his right.

"What do you think you're doing?" Stephanie sneered at Seth. "Do you know what I could do to you? To you career? To your _brothers'_ careers?"

"We know exactly what you can do," Roman stated calmly, "hence the need for revised contracts. These new contracts state that we cannot be fired for any reason, that we are protected from unfair retaliatory practices, and that any disagreements that arise between us are to be settled by an unaffiliated, third-party mediator. They also state that we do not have to appear on WWE programming while such disputes are being mediated, but that we will be paid twice our normal rate during mediation."

Stephanie sputtered in disbelief. "You have to be crazy. There is no way we are signing this!"

"Oh, we think you will," Dean sing-songed, smiling evilly.

"If you fail to meet our demands," Roman continued, still perfectly calm, "we are prepared to walk out right now and not return until our demands have been met."

"What!" Stephanie shrieked, looking at Hunter in consternation. "You can't do that. We will sue you for breach of contract! We will sue you for every penny you own!"

"You can do that," Seth said, matching Roman's cool tone, "but that's not going to help you at WrestleMania tonight when you are left without a main event. And I don't think it is going to look so good to the fans, not to mention the stockholders, when your Intercontinental champion, your United States champion, your Tag Team champions, and your WWE World Heavyweight champion all decide to walk out right before your biggest show of the year."

"So you're planning on holding our championship belts hostage, are you?" Hunter asked icily.

"Yep," Dean answered. "Every single one."

"It's kind of like you've been holding Seth hostage these past ten months," Roman added.

"Hostage?" Stephanie screeched. "I don't know what kind of lies he's been feeding you, but he wanted to join the Authority. He liked it. You liked it!" she screamed, pointing at Seth.

"Are you going to sign the contracts or not?" Roman asked coldly, ignoring Stephanie's shrieking.

"No! No, we're not going to sign your contracts," Stephanie answered shrilly.

"Okay, then," Roman answered, irritatingly casual. "I guess we'll be going then. Good luck tonight." He rose from his seat and started to head for the door. Seth and Dean quickly followed his lead.

"Wait," Hunter called. "We'll sign the contracts."

"What?!" Stephanie wailed.

"They won," Hunter replied frankly. "You have to know when you're beat, and we're beat. We can't let them walk out on WrestleMania with every title this company has in their possession. They know that, and we know that. They outsmarted us. They won. Get Barry on the phone."

"Barry?" Dean asked as he sat back down.

"Barry is our in-house lawyer. He will review the new contracts before we sign them," Hunter explained wearily.

"He better be quick," Seth noted. "WrestleMania begins in less than an hour."

"Don't worry," Hunter replied resignedly. "All of your demands will be met."

Dean, Seth, and Roman looked at each other in triumph. Their plan had been a success. They had won.

* * *

_Sierra. Hotel. India. Echo. Lima. Delta. Shield._

The crowd erupted as the once familiar theme song for the Shield reverberated through the arena once again. Seth made his way down through the crowd, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt slung proudly over one shoulder and the Tag Team Championship belt hanging across the other. Across the arena, he could see Dean and Roman descending toward the ring, championship gold glinting from their shoulders as well.

As he entered the ring, Seth smiled broadly at Dean and Roman, his opponents for tonight but his brothers for life. Seth knew as he handed his belt to the official, that there was a good chance that he would not walk out of WrestleMania as WWE World Heavyweight champion. But he didn't care. He had successfully cashed in his briefcase. He had outsmarted the Authority. He had reunited with his brothers. It simply didn't matter whether he won or lost the match. No matter whose hand was raised in victory at the end of the night, Seth was sure of one thing: _He had already won._

The end.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, everybody! Enjoy WrestleMania!**


End file.
